Ahead of a meeting between two of the top wide receivers in the NFL on Saturday, Cincinnati Bengals superstar Ja'Marr Chase chose himself as the top wideout in football this week.
According to Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network, Chase was asked if he and Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson are the two best wide receivers in the NFL. Chase responded by saying, "I don't feel like we're the two best. I feel like I'm the best."
When asked to choose the NFL's second-best receiver behind him, Chase said, "Um, that's for everybody else to debate."
On Saturday, Chase's Bengals and Jefferson's Vikings will meet in a battle of 7-6 teams who are both in the thick of the playoff race in their respective conferences.
Chase and Jefferson go way back, as they were college teammates at LSU in 2018 and 2019.
As members of the 2019 team, which went a perfect 15-0 and won the national title, both Chase and Jefferson put up monster numbers with Chase making 84 catches for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns, while Jefferson had 111 receptions for 1,540 yards and 18 scores.
Both Chase and Jefferson went on to become first-round picks in the NFL draft, and they have each established themselves as two of the most productive, young wide receivers in NFL history.
Jefferson had 4,825 receiving yards over his first three seasons, breaking Vikings legend Randy Moss' NFL record. Chase is still in the midst of his third NFL season, but he is already seventh on that list with 3,593 yards.
As dominant as Jefferson was over his first three seasons, the three-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro has struggled through a difficult 2023 campaign.
Injuries have limited Jefferson to six games, although he has been excellent when healthy, making 38 grabs for 598 yards and three touchdowns. He left last week's game early with a chest injury but insisted he will be good to go for Saturday.
Chase saw his quarterback, Joe Burrow, suffer a season-ending wrist injury, but he has been a stud nonetheless.
In 13 games, Chase has 89 receptions for 1,092 yards and seven touchdowns, putting him on pace for his third Pro Bowl nod in three NFL seasons.
With backup Jake Browning throwing him the ball, Chase will look to outshine Jefferson on Saturday and lead the Bengals to what would be a pivotal win in relation to their AFC playoff hopes.
